Japanese Patent No. 08 312503 describes that location holes may be provided on the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine for one fuel injection valve for each combustion chamber in each hole, where an outlet section of the respective fuel injection valve for direct injection of fuel in the respective combustion chamber can be inserted. The fuel injection valve inserted in the location hole of the cylinder head is held down using a holding device designed as a bracket against the relatively high combustion pressure prevailing in the combustion chamber. In order to reliably secure the fuel injection valves in the location holes, relatively high hold-down forces must be exerted by the brackets on the fuel injection valves, so that the fuel injection valves have a relatively firm, unmovable seat in the location holes. Japanese Patent No. 08 312503 also describes a fuel distribution line with a fuel inlet orifice for supplying fuel to one of the inlet sections provided on each fuel injection valve; the fuel distribution line connects the fuel injection valves to a fuel pump. The fuel distribution line has a location element for each fuel injection valve, in which the inlet section of the fuel injection valve may be inserted, so that the location element surrounds the inlet section in the shape of a cup. In order to achieve the required sealing, the inlet section of each fuel injection valve has a sealing element in the form of an O-ring, which sealingly contacts the inner wall of the location element.
Due to the relatively high combustion pressure in each combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, the hold-down device must exert a relatively high hold-down force in order to securely hold the fuel injection valves in their respective location holes on the cylinder head. However, the resulting rigid attachment of the fuel injection valves to the cylinder head makes the installation of the fuel distribution line difficult, since positional and angular deviations may occur between the inlet sections of the fuel injection valves and the location elements of the distribution line. Another contributing factor is that the fuel injection valves installed in the location holes of the cylinder head are not exposed to the hold-down force of the bracket in a uniform manner around their peripheries, but point-wise, which results in a slight tilt of the fuel injection valves in the location holes. The additional positional and angular deviations thus resulting at the inlet sections of the fuel injection valves make the assembly of the fuel distribution line even more difficult. The O-ring arranged between the inlet section of the fuel injection valve and the location element of the fuel distribution line compensates for the positional and angular deviations only to a very small, insufficient degree. In addition to the more difficult assembly, a fuel leakage danger at the seal that does not compensate for the positional and angular deviations also results in practice with Japanese Patent No. 08 312503.
German Patent No. 29 08 095 describes that a fuel injection valve not provided for direct injection of fuel may be fastened to a fuel distribution line using a holding clamp and the inlet section of the fuel injection valve may be inserted into the fuel distribution line via a plug nipple. Compensation for the positional or angular deviations at the connection of the fuel injection valve with the fuel distribution line is not provided in this assembly arrangement.